Aerostructure Middle East Services (AMES) on Monday marked the expansion of its facility in Jebel Ali, Dubai, to include the General Electric GE90 engines that power the Boeing 777s of several Middle Eastern and other customers, such as Emirates Airline and Etihad Airways.

A joint venture of Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) and Safran Nacelles, AMES has doubled available space and expects the workforce to increase to 40 personnel by the end of 2020, an AMES official told AIN.

“MRO activity is offered by AMES for countries in the Middle East, the Gulf Region, and the Indian peninsula, which is a region representing one of the largest concentrations of [the] Boeing 777,” the company said.

As well as radomes, engine-fan stator modules, and all metallic and composite parts of an aircraft, AMES MRO now includes preventive maintenance inspections (PMIs) and associated repairs on the modules for General Electric GE90-100/155 fan cases. As OEM, GE mandates PMIs on the engines when they have accumulated 50,000 flight hours.

Concurrent with the earlier announcement, AMES owner Safran Nacelles also said it would consummate an MRO services agreement for jet-engine nacelles with Paris, France-headquartered Sabena Technics.

A multi-product MRO provider, AFI KLM E&M employs more than 14,000 people and supports over 3,000 aircraft operated by 200 international and domestic airlines in France and the Netherlands.

Safran Nacelles manufactures aircraft nacelles and actively participates in aftermarket services; having placed more than 23,000 products in service flying over 140,000 hours a day, the company serves all segments of the market, from regional jets and corporate aircraft to the largest airliners, it said.

AMES facilities sit 7 miles (11 kilometers) from Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai South, and 26 miles from Dubai International Airport at the Jebel Ali Free Zone.